Three flash fiction pieces, written in English by Arabic-speaking students. Film photography by staff photographer Hana Tyszka. The Center by Reem Hatem Badr: the perilous journey of six children, as they try to escape from a mysterious land called “The Center.” A story of escape and adventure, that doubles as a metaphor about the power of words. Reem Badr, daughter, friend, established reader, aspiring writer, aimless wanderer, and lover of poetry. She is currently a student at The American University in Cairo. Fascination by Jana Tabet: an experimental flash fiction piece about the rush of life you get when you’re crashing into love with someone else. A poignant and concise piece that captures the experience of a consuming relationship. Jana Tabet is a 17-year-old girl from Lebanon. This upcoming year, she will be a senior in high school. She prefers going to a party over completing her homework, yet you’ll find her up until 5 a.m. finishing a story she had accidentally started reading before going to bed. She finds people beautiful and as much as she doesn’t like …

A collection of writing and photographs found in Iowa City, the UNESCO city of literature. Included are works from New Jersey and Nebraska in the USA, as well as from Oman, on the Arabian Peninsula, and Moscow, Russia. These writers met through an international program at the University of Iowa; these photographs were found in a local antique shop. Look between the lines and ask for whom is woman? for whom is love? Poetry by Deryn Mierlak Montclair, New Jersey LOVE IN THE TIME OF HEINEKEN the dolls tell you first you see their expressions lost in the cold paper of porcelain as he buoys his lips against green valleys of glass in the spaces between sunlight there is one little one, with golden reams of wheat-beer curls who whispers he’s at it again and you laugh her off, but trapped in the painted planetary pull of those lifeless eyes you see him, played back from twelve hours ago set in the crystalline chrysalis world of self-hatred then there are the siamese twins with horsehair pigtails, …

RYOTA SPEAKS ON HIS ARTWORK: The artworks of Ryota Matsumoto develop and demonstrate the hybrid/multi-layered process, where varying scale, juxtaposition of different forms, intertwined textures/tones are applied to reflect the spatio-temporal conditions of our ever-evolving urban, natural, and ecological environments. They are created to act as the catalyst for defining speculative changes in our notions of cities, societies and cultures. His drawings explore a hybrid drawing technique combining both traditional media (ink, acrylic, and graphite) and digital media (algorithmic processing, scripting and image compositing with custom software ). All the lines, curves and forms are created by algorithmic and generative processes. Then they are redefined and reconfigured with traditional painting/drawing techniques that add colors, textures and details to compositions. About Ryota: Ryota Matsumoto is a principal of an award-winning design office, Ryota Matsumoto Studio based in Tokyo. He is an artist, designer and urban planner. Born in 1972, Ryota was raised in Hong Kong and Japan. He received Master of Architecture from University of Pennsylvania in 2007 after studying at Architectural Association in London and Mackintosh School of Architecture, Glasgow …